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Tusk: 'European consensus' emerging to tackle migration crisis

Ahead of a key summit with Turkey, European Council President Donald Tusk has said a "comprehensive strategy" is near. Tusk said Ankara has agreed to "accelerated relocation" to move migrants from Greece to Turkey.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday that he is witnessing the emergence of a "European consensus" for the first time since a wave of migration to the EU prompted a political crisis across the bloc.

"For the first time since the beginning of the migration crisis, I can see a European consensus emerging. It is a consensus around a comprehensive strategy that, if loyally implemented, can help stem the flows and tackle the crisis," Tusk said in a letter inviting EU leaders to a summit he will chair with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday.

Brussels has struggled to form a comprehensive action plan to handle the wave of people seeking refuge in the bloc. Several ex-Soviet satellite states have rejected accepting more asylum seekers under an EU quota system aimed at easing pressure from frontline countries, such as Greece and Italy.

"The political will is there, but it poses a logistical challenge, in which we have to support Greece. Prime Minister Davutoglu also confirmed Turkey's readiness to take back all migrants apprehended in Turkish waters," Tusk said.

According to Tusk, Ankara agreed to "accelerated relocation," in which migrants who do not meet the requirements for international protection are sent back to Turkey from Greece.

Tusk urged EU leaders to come together at the summit and agree to collectively use "all available EU tools" to respond to the crisis.

"On Monday, I would like us to agree that all available EU tools, including accelerated relocation, should be used to address the humanitarian consequences for the refugees, not least in Greece, in a speedy and effective way," Tusk noted.

He also referred to a new proposal from the European Commission to launch an "emergency assistance instrument" of 700 million euros, which would be used to provide Athens with the funds to accommodate asylum seekers in the country.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Syrian establishments

In Izmir's Basmane district, an area known for human trafficking operations, refugee-owned stores and restaurants have multiplied as more Syrians choose to stay in the city. Yet while refugees have made progress by opening such businesses, most still do so under the names of Turkish friends, said Mohamed Saleh, director for the Relief Society of Syrian Refugees in Izmir.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Unemployed and unattended

Paying the bills is only one of the challenges for refugees, who often pass long periods of unemployment by sitting in cafes. Many lack basic health services, which prompted Lea Wilmsen, a German medical student, to provide free house visits to ailing families. "Unlike camps, refugees are spread out in a city and harder to find," she said.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

House calls

Working with a translator, Wilmsen visited refugee homes in Basmane. Pictured above, she listened as two mothers described how their children were suffering from chronic respiratory illnesses. According to Wilmsen, the cause of their troubles was the humid apartment they inhabited, where 14 people slept on mats in two small rooms.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Street kids

Children play near life jackets being sold on a street corner. Most young refugees in Izmir do not attend school on a regular basis and must often take simple jobs to help their families pay rent. During another house visit, Wilmsen attended to a six-year-old Syrian boy who was beaten up and robbed while selling tissue packets in the street.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Building refugee centers

In an effort to create a community center for refugees, former union organizer Yalcin Yanik is renovating the abandoned building he uses as a leather-tanning studio. "I help the refugees, just like I helped workers many years ago," he said. "We are making a collective space to help refugees feel welcome. We want to fill the holes left by our government."

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Avoiding dependency

Often seen walking through the streets of Basmane, Chris Dowling, an Italian-English volunteer working with Yanik, said it's important to help refugees, but not to exaggerate. "We don't want people to become dependent on aid. We want to build community groups that help people know their rights and help them integrate into society, find work and build their own lives."

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Housing problems

Mercy Corps, a humanitarian aid organization funded by the EU, recently opened an office in Izmir, where it seeks out vulnerable refugee families and provides assistance through voucher programs and counseling. The group also helps pay extermination fees for pest-infested homes, which tend to be rented by refugees with low incomes.

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Smuggling hub

Despite the combined efforts of humanitarian workers, the majority of refugees arrive in Izmir to find smugglers in places such as Basmane Square, pictured above. "We can't stop people from dealing with the smugglers," said Afife Yildiz, project officer for Mercy Corps in Izmir. "The solution is political. We are here to decide who is most vulnerable and help them."

With help, refugees settle into life in Turkey

Safe passage

The Greek island of Chios, as seen from Cesme, Turkey. If refugees are determined to cross to Europe, Nur Sahinoglu, a volunteer with the aid group Imece Inisiyatifi Cesme, is one of many locals who try to deter them from taking dinghies across the Aegean. "If you want to go," she said, "go safely."

Author: Diego Cupolo, Izmir, Turkey

Ready to pay

As part of a deal between the bloc and Ankara, the EU on Friday announced that it is ready to provide Turkey with 95 million euros ($104 million) in aid.

Under the deal, Brussels will provide some 3 billion euros to Ankara in exchange for Turkey stemming a flow of migration to Greece across the Aegean Sea.

More than 800,000 migrants traversed the deadly route to Greece from Turkey in a bid to reach the EU.

Turkey has sheltered more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees since the Syrian war started in 2011.